By Lewis MacLean. The Molotovs are a trio of young musicians who are a new and fast rising band. The name was familiar to me before the Isle of Wight Festival but after seeing a recommendation from The Libertines’ Pete Doherty describing them as ‘F-ing Ace’, I was keen...
Music
Ash to tour following release of first new album in more than 5 years
image by Steve Gullick. Ash have announced their first new album together in more than five years, alongside news of an upcoming UK / EU tour. Race The Night, the band’s eighth studio album, will be released on 15th September 2023 via one of their earliest label homes Fierce...
Skinny Lister come to Southampton as part of UK tour this winter
Folk-punk rabble Skinny Lister are back with a new track “Down On The Barrier” plus details of two extensive tours in North America and UK and Ireland throughout Autumn/Winter 2023, bringing them to Southampton’s Engine Rooms in December. Blending pogo-primed percussion, punk hooks, and a chorus that demands to...
Review: The Isle of Wight Festival, 2023
Words by Nick Mabey (Friday) & Lewis MacLean (Saturday & Sunday). Additional reporting by Paula Wilson. Main image by Chloe Hashemi. Friday by Nick Mabey. Friday at the festival and Newport was rocking. The sun shone, the crowds swarmed, everything was as it should be. For me it...
The Chills come to Portsmouth on UK tour
Back in the UK and Ireland for the first time in more than six years, NZ indie-rockers The Chills are set to play a series of live dates this June. Joined by Fire Records label-mates Rats on Rafts, The Chills are heading to Glasgow, Newcastle, Norwich, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Dublin. The Dunedin, NZ songsmiths helmed by the...
Review: Leftfield, Bournemouth O2 Academy, May 27th 2023
Leftfield in Bournemouth: Hauntology, not nostalgia Words by Tom Williams. Image by Steve Gullick. Leftfield are one of a handful of acts who I got into largely because their ‘Leftism’ album- with its distinctive shark’s jaws cover- appeared in the CD collections of slightly older, much cooler friends when...
Southampton music: Dlugokecki
by Peter Nicholson. Dlugokecki (pronounced Der-loo-go-ken-ski) have supported million-selling artists such as David Gray, Snow Patrol, Corinne-Bailey Rae, The Proclaimers, Passenger and Lu Lu on their world tours, playing to thousands of people. They’ve also had their songs used on numerous TV shows, played festivals across the word including the...
The Stranglers come to Portsmouth Guildhall in 2024 for 50th anniversary tour
In 2024, The Stranglers, one of the most iconic and influential bands in British music history, are celebrating their 50th year anniversary with a following UK and Irish tour. The tour will bring them to Portsmouth Guildhall on March 24th. Since playing their last full-scale UK tour in 2022,...
Hampshire singer-songwriter Charlie Smith comes to The Hobbit, Southampton
Singer-songwriter Charlie Smith from Hampshire is playing a gig on home turf this month, at The Hobbit, Southampton. He describes his music as “chillingly sweet, raw, and emotive,” adding “In keeping my honest approach to music my recordings have no unnecessary effects, focusing on chords and melody above all...
Alabama 3 come to Southampton’s The 1865 this November
South London roots-futurists Alabama 3 have announced a show in Southampton this autumn, and are heading to The 1865 on 30 November in support of their upcoming release ‘Cold War Classics Vol.2’. Born at an all-night squat party during the ‘90s, the group formed when charismatic frontman and co-founder...